With the fresh incident, the number of rebels killed in separate gun-battles across the Bastar region this month has reached to 18.
The skirmish took place last night between a joint team of security forces and rebels in jungles of Tumnar under Dhanora police station limits, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, SRP Kalluri, told PTI.
The IG said keeping in view the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA-military wing of the Maoists) week, starting from December 2-8, during which ultras step up their activities, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena had launched a series of operations in the Abhujmad area, considered as a crucial base of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
While they were cordoning off a forest axis between Bedmameta and Gattakal villages, a huge group of military company no 1 of Maoist opened indiscriminate firing on them after which a heavy gun-battle broke out between the two sides that lasted for around two hours, the IG said.
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On finding security personnel zeroing in on them, the ultras fled the spot.
Later, when searching was carried at spot, body of two rebels clad in 'uniforms' were found and their weapons recovered, he said.
Meanwhile, security forces nabbed two women rebels who were trying to flee into core forests, he said.
The identity of the killed and arrested naxals will be ascertained once the police parties return to its camps, the IG added.
With this encounter, the number of killed naxals has reached to 18 in six separate encounters in south Bastar this month.